Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Mar;226(3):277-286.
doi: 10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2017.12.013. Epub 2018 Jan 19.

Feasibility of an Image-Based Mobile Health Protocol for Postoperative Wound Monitoring

Rebecca L Gunter  1 , Sara Fernandes-Taylor  2 , Shahrose Rahman  2 , Lola Awoyinka  2 , Kyla M Bennett  2 , Sharon M Weber  2 , Caprice C Greenberg  2 , K Craig Kent  2
Affiliations

Feasibility of an Image-Based Mobile Health Protocol for Postoperative Wound Monitoring

Rebecca L Gunter et al. J Am Coll Surg. 2018 Mar.

Abstract

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) is the most common nosocomial infection and the leading cause of readmission among surgical patients. Many SSIs develop in the postdischarge period and are inadequately recognized by patients. To address this, we developed a mobile health protocol of remote wound monitoring using smartphone technology. The current study aims to establish its feasibility among patients and providers.

Study design: We enrolled vascular surgery patients during their inpatient stay. They were trained to use our mobile health application, which allowed them to transmit digital images of their surgical wound and answer a survey about their recovery. After hospital discharge, participants completed the application daily for 2 weeks. Providers on the inpatient team reviewed submissions daily and contacted patients for concerning findings.

Results: Forty participants were enrolled. Forty-five percent of participants submitted data every day for 2 weeks, with an overall submission rate of 90.2%. Submissions were reviewed within an average of 9.7 hours of submission, with 91.9% of submissions reviewed within 24 hours. We detected 7 wound complications with 1 false negative. Participant and provider satisfaction was universally high.

Conclusions: Patients and their caregivers are willing to participate in a mobile health program aimed at remote monitoring of postoperative recovery, and they are able to complete it with a high level of fidelity and satisfaction. Preliminary results indicate the ability to detect and intervene on wound complications.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure Information: Nothing to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
WoundCheck application screenshots. (A, B, C) The first step is the image-taking portion of the app, with the ability to review captured images and add images as necessary. (D) The image-taking portion is followed by a series of yes or no questions about recovery, with particular focus on the wound. (E) Participants can review and change their responses before submitting their data. (F) They receive a confirmation of submission and are given the number to the clinic if they have concerns. Wound image from Shutterstock.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Enrollment diagram.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Wiseman JT, Guzman AM, Fernandes-Taylor S, et al. General and vascular surgery readmissions: a systematic review. J Am Coll Surg 2014;219:552–569.e2. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Weber DJ, Sickbert-Bennett EE, Brown V, et al. Completeness of surveillance data reported by the National Healthcare Safety Network: an analysis of healthcare-associated infections ascertained in a tertiary care hospital, 2010. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2012;33:94–96. - PubMed
    1. Lewis SS, Moehring RW, Chen LF, et al. Assessing the relative burden of hospital-acquired infections in a network of community hospitals. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2013;34: 1229–1230. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Zimlichman E, Henderson D, Tamir O, et al. Health care associated infections: a meta-analysis of costs and financial impact on the US health care system. JAMA Intern Med 2013;173:2039–2046. - PubMed
    1. Scott RD II. The direct medical costs of healthcare-associated infections in US hospitals and the benefits of prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Division of Health-care Quality Promotion. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/hai/pdfs/hai/scott_costpaper.pdf. Published March 2009 Accessed January 4, 2017.

Publication types